We read for many reasons - to escape, be inspired, relax and learn, just to name a few. Timbuktu by Paul Auster is an absolute job for its simplicity and beauty. It's a novella about a man and his dog, and the reader has the joy of flipping point of view from the master to his pet.
Auster is daring, outrageously creative and perhaps one of the best modern writers alive today. The first novel that I read by him, and one of his most well known is The New York Trilogy. Its a dark and clever series of short novels, with characters called Blue, Brown, Black and White. It has a unique sense of being a comic book within literary fiction.
When writing today for the modern reader, we should dare to experiment and strive to surprise. What also interests me is that Auster shows that size doesn't matter. His books are often novellas and leave you hungry for more. It may be a strategy in itself to develop a strong readership and adapt to time poor consumers.
My only question is do great writers need to flex their imagination a little more and move away from protagonists who are writers? Mr Bones (the dog) is funny and sweet. Willy G Christmas is quirky and interesting, but again Auster has chosen a character who is also a writer.
If you haven't discovered Paul Auster, then I cannot shout more loudly - please read his novels and encourage other readers and writers to do so. Timbuktu is a great place to start, but there are many more as he covers a range of genres which is admirable. We need more of Auster's ilk.
The Macmillan website has links to interviews with Auster. The Paris Review - Paul Auster, The Art of Fiction is particularly great if you are interested in the craft of writing.
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